Dr. No (1962) 8/10 - I watched this, of course, on October 5th, its 50th Anniversary. A very interesting film. As I'm sure many know, it's a different type of Bond movie. The Bondian elements are few and far between, and what's left feels unlike anything that came after. In fact, watching it again, it feels almost like a detective film. A really weird detective film. And I don't say weird as in comparison to the other 007 films. I mean it's very uneven tonally. Other qualms include the fact that Honey Rider shows up in the third act and does literally nothing, and a less than stellar editing of the music (great theme, but it's played at weird times for little purpose). Anyway, the film is great fun and really cool, when all is said and done. And it's also intriguing to watch and think what its legacy would be like if Bond never returned.
From Russia With Love (1963) 10/10 - My favorite Bond film for as long as I've seen a Bond film (this was my first - when I was, I think, 7). And, seriously, there's just so much to love here, including what I think is easily the greatest henchman of any Bond film - Robert Shaw as Grant. I think it's most certainly the best espionage film of all time, and the only Bond movie that is truly a spy movie. The plot is deliciously intricate, and SPECTRE is in top form here. All their scenes are absolute classics. Additionally you have some of the best sequences in any Bond film (the suspenseful and clever cold open, the fight aboard the Orient, the helicopter attack, and the brilliantly small yet enormously thrilling final showdown with Klebb, and of course all the other ones - I could list them but I feel I've said enough on that matter). And, of course, with any good Bond film, you get classic scenes with M, Moneypenny, and Q, who gives to Bond what is probably the most realistic gadget in the entire series - and also the most interesting. And you get one of the best and most beautiful Bond girls, Tatiana, and one of the most enjoyable Bond allies, Kareem Bay. And let us not forget Connery, who honestly gives his greatest Bond performance ever here. Okay, I think I've said enough. You get the idea. I freaking love this movie.